ESIn the immigration health process, completing the consular medical exam is a mandatory requirement to obtain your lawful permanent residence visa to the United States. This exam evaluates your overall health and helps detect diseases with a global public-health alert that carry a risk of contagion. If you want to know which other health aspects are considered in the immigration medical exam, keep reading.
What does the immigration medical exam evaluate?
During your consular medical appointment, a general review of your physical condition is performed to understand your health status and to provide the immigration authorities with a general medical history according to previously established criteria and protocols. Here’s what the process involves:
- Your medical history. Your overall health conditions are reviewed and transmissible diseases with a global public-health alert—such as tuberculosis, syphilis, or gonorrhea—are ruled out.
- Vaccination schedule. You must comply with the vaccination schedule required by the country you are immigrating to; required vaccines may differ from those in your country of origin and focus on preventing vaccine-preventable diseases.
- Physical examination. A review of your main organs such as the heart, lungs, eyes, skin, and lymph nodes.
- Mental health. If needed, a psychologist will assess your mental health; not everyone undergoes this step.
- Laboratory tests. Blood samples—and in some cases urine samples—are taken.
Infectious diseases — applicable criteria
As noted, the immigration medical evaluation focuses on identifying transmissible conditions that could pose a risk to the public health of the country you’re moving to. For that reason, compliance with the vaccination schedule of your destination country is required to help prevent the spread of diseases. These measures protect both the applicant and the receiving community, ensuring the migration process is carried out responsibly and safely for everyone.
What if you have a communicable disease?
If this concerns you, we want to reassure you: your health is evaluated with complete confidentiality, applying medical criteria established by U.S. immigration authorities and by other countries that require the immigration medical exam.
The main objective of the consular medical exam is for you to arrive in your new country with the best possible immigration health. If a transmissible disease is detected during the exam, don’t be alarmed—this does not mean your residence process will be rejected. In many cases, the condition can be managed and treated so that your immigration or residence process can continue.
Treatments and follow-up to continue your immigration process
If a contagious disease is detected during the consular medical exam, you will be informed at that moment, guided appropriately, and given the treatment to follow so you can improve your health and avoid infecting others. Following the treatment and the medical instructions will allow you to move forward in your immigration process with peace of mind, while safeguarding your wellbeing and protecting the community’s health.
Importance of medical history and vaccination records for permanent-residence visa exams
We recommend that on the day of your appointment at CMI (Clínica Médica Internacional) you bring prescriptions for current medications and/or any prior medical records you have. This will help the physician perform a more complete and precise evaluation of your health. This information will be added to your electronic file to be reviewed by the immigration authorities before your interview at the U.S. Consulate General.
It’s also very important to bring your vaccination card or any other proof of vaccination. Presenting it allows our medical staff to verify your immunization status and determine exactly which vaccines you need to meet CDC and U.S. health-authority requirements. Without these documents, the full mandatory vaccination schedule will be administered—even for vaccines you may already have.
Why choose CMI for your consular medical exam in Ciudad Juárez?
At Clínica Médica Internacional (CMI) we understand how important the medical exam is for your U.S. permanent-residence (green card) process; choosing us ensures you are in expert hands, with more than 40 years of experience.
We are an authorized clinic endorsed by the U.S. Consulate General in Ciudad Juárez, and we follow all protocols and criteria established by immigration health authorities and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
From the moment you arrive, you will experience warm, professional service to ensure your process is conducted with the excellence you deserve.
Questions or need to schedule your appointment?
Our staff is trained to answer your immigration health questions and guide you through the process. Call our Call Center any time: From Mexico: (+52) 656 227 2800 | From the U.S.: (+1) 844 624 9447. For more information on the medical process, visit our website: www.cmi-medical.com